Wire feeder delivers wire evenly with close-to-process drive unit

SKS North America offers the Frontpull 7 welding torch. It features a close-to-process drive unit located directly at the torch neck that feeds wire evenly and precisely, according to the manufacturer. Ignition and welding for applied GMAW processes are nearly spatter-free.

The unit feeds wires of steel, aluminum, and other alloy material in diameters from 0.03 to 0.06 in. for single-wire arc welding and soldering processes. In automated robotic welding, the wires come mostly from the barrel but also may come from the coil when high-alloyed or less common alloy materials are used.

The 90-W four-roll drive feeds wire at a predefined speed. As the wire is moved by only one drive, both the synchronization issues between two separate drives and the unevenness existing between push and pull operation are eliminated. The drive forms a single unit with the torch system.

With the control unit of the wire feeder mounted on the upper arm of the robot, the weight of the torch system is 10.58 lbs., allowing fast acceleration and deceleration.